Beyond the Sea
by HilaryHilary
Summary: Fourteen strangers crash on one island and set off in a long string of friendships, romantic entanglments and intrigues that will make and shape all of them, for better or worse.
1. Prologue

_Beyond the Sea

* * *

_

Author's note: This is a story based around the TV show Lost, but it should be understandable if you don't watch the show. So please read, and be patient, and try to enjoy the ride.

* * *

**_Prologue_ **

Lucas Scott stared out at the window at the clouds, having nothing else to stare at. He wished he had a book to distract himself, instead of just the weak drink in front of him and his thoughts, consuming him.

His gaze wandered around the cabin. A dark haired man, looking angry at the world. A beautiful red headed girl immersed in a magazine and the man beside her, pretending he wasn't looking.

A blonde girl with tortured eyes, looking desperate for escape. He stared at her a moment longer. Her hands were under her tray but he imagined them, wringing anxiously together. For a fleeting instant, he imagined putting his arms around her and soothing away her fears. Her companion, a man, smirked at her.

Across the aisle was a brown haired man with gentle eyes. A girl was with him, one who looked somehow resentful.

These people were all with somebody. Lucas looked at the tall, pretty man at the other side of the cabin. He was alone, just like him.

For an instant, the cabin shook. Lucas' eyes widened as a flight attendant stumbled awkwardly in the path for the intercom. He gripped his own arm rests, taking one last glance at the girl before staring ahead and letting himself be absorbed by his own fate.


	2. Pilot

Chapter One

There was no noise, but no sense of peace. Something in the air was unsettling. He realized that he should be in an air plane, with the vague buzz of conversation around him, the slightly smell of precooked meals in the air.

He slowly opened his eyes. All he could see was green. The branches were too thick for him to see the sky. The sky was far away. And only moments ago he'd been in it. Had it only been moments?

Lucas slowly got to his feet. Around him was a lush green jungle, untrampled and full. He began to run.

He passed trees, rocks, but no sign of human life. There was none, until he reached the beach. Slowly, as his eyes scanned it, it was revealed in pieces. The redheaded girl, screaming nonsensical words. The boy who'd been with her, his attention now focused on the various injuries around the beach.

The vast, burning plane section, the whirring engine, occasionally stopping and starting again.

He'd had no desire to step in and take charge, but as he saw one high, raised wing of the plane, sticking up at ninety degrees to the ground, he ran toward the scene of chaos.

He ran past a dark haired man, looking around in disinterest, and straight for a heavily pregnant brunette girl. Looking pannicked, she had her arms clutched around her stomach.

"Are you having contractions?" he demanded. She looked at him in surprise.

"I think so," she said, wincing as she spoke.

"Don't worry, it'll be okay. Just take deep breaths, try and calm down. Hey, you!" said Lucas, calling out to the brown haired man he'd seen before, with the preteen girl.

"Yeah?"

"Stay with..." Lucas trailed off awkwardly.

"Brooke," she said.

"Stay with Brooke, keep her away from all this," instructed Lucas. He ran off again, shoving away a young man to do CPR on an older woman.

As he finished this, and the engine stopped it's whirring, and the flames gradually died, he felt safe enough to run.

Far away, in a small enclosure created naturally by a circle of trees, he felt safer. He stripped off his shirt, feeling tempted to run into the ocean, until he saw the gash under his ribcage.

He winced. He could handle other people's blood, but never his own. He attempted to reach it, but found he could not.

He quelled his sigh of frustration as the blonde woman came in to view, the same one from the plane with her sad eyes. She looked around distractedly and messily tied her hair onto her head.

"Hello?" he called out to her. Her eyes sought him in surprise, as if shocked that someone had envaded her personal space.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Do you have any medical experience?" he asked.

"What?"

He half turned to show her the wide, deep gash on his side. She flinched.

"I need you to sew it up."

* * *

"What's happening over there?" asked the girl eventually, focusing on the needle the was threading in and out of the gash. 

"Everyone's freaked out. No one knows what's going to happen."

"You seem okay," she said.

"I'm not." He was silent for a second, and winced as the needle once again pierced his skin. "I'm good at hiding."

"Yeah? That fits. I'm good at running."

He almost smiled. This was fitting somehow. Amidst the chaos and the pain, he would much rather be alone with this girl, pretending nothing was happening.

"You're all done," she said proudly. He glanced at the long row of neat black stitches.

"You're a pro. Good job," he said. She smiled, looking white.

Back at the beach, the situation was considerably more calm. The tall man was beginning to build a fire. The redheaded girl and the boy were sitting together in silence, the pregnant girl had ceased to contract, the man and his daughter were alone together.

"Are you making a signal fire?" asked Lucas curiously of him.

"Yeah. But there's a lot of smoke in the jungle over there. I think it's probably the cockpit," he said.

"I'll go. Try and find the tranceiver," said Lucas thoughtfully.

"I'm going with you," said Haley immediately. He nodded distractedly.

"Be careful."

"What's your name?" asked Lucas.

"Cooper Lee."

Lucas waited, poised to state his name. But he did not ask.

The two of them set off for the jungle. At the edge of the beach they were met with the dark haired man from before.

"You coming with us?" asked Lucas in surprise.

"I haven't gotten anything better to do."

The blond looked between the two men as they headed off into the jungle. The dark haired one didn't talk much. The blonde was probably nicer, but he didn't seem nearly as interesting.

* * *

Author's note: Laley. Please, remember who you're dealing with.

* * *


	3. Pilot part 2

Chapter Two

* * *

Author's note: All of you understandably have couple questions. I'm not going to tell you how it all ends up, because that's lame, but I will tell you that hte main triangle is laley/naley. Other stuff should be fairly evident.

* * *

"Hello?"

Brooke slowly opened her eyes to see the man from before hanging over her. She smiled hesitantly.

"Hey."

"I brought you some water," he said.

She took the bottle and smiled at him. Slightly behind him, looking reluctant, was a small blonde girl. Brooke winked at her, and the girl found herself smiling back.

"I'm Jake, this is Jenny," he explained hesitantly.

"Hey. I'm Brooke," she said, mostly for Jenny's benefit.

"How far along are you, Brooke?" he asked.

"Eight months."

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"No."

Jake noted her unwillingness to converse, and stood up. Jenny prepared to move.

"That man, from before. He's a Doctor, right?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Lucas, I think. He went off to find the cockpit, with two others," said Jake. She nodded. "Don't worry."

Brooke stared down as he left. She didn't want to push them away, because she'd need people in the coming weeks. But she didn't know how to do otherwise.

Jake let his hand rest on Jenny's shoulder as they walked, afraid to be seperated from her amidst the general confusion. She shook him off resentfully. He stared at her as she ran off. He wished he knew her better. Then, at the very least, he'd understand when she distanced herself from him.

Jenny pulled the elastic out of her hair as she ran, letting it trail bedhind her, feeling the soft sand between her feet as they pounded down on it. Past the groups of people, past the fuselage. She smelled the salt of the sea, the smell of smoke in the air. With her eyes closed, it was almost like any other vacation she'd ever taken.

With her eyes opened, it was a living nightmare.

She wanted to run into the ocean, let the water wash through her, but she didn't dare.

Slowly, drained of energy and enthusiasm, she made her way back to the camp.

The pregnant girl met her on the way. Jenny had planned on ignoring her but when her eyes met the woman's hazel ones, she found she could not.

"Hey," she said, her voice breathless.

"Hey. Jenny, right?" asked Brooke.

"Yeah."

"Where are you from, Jenny?" asked Brooke.

"Everywhere," she explained.

"How lucky for you. Most of us only get to chose one," said Brooke.

"I guess I'm not most of us."

"Were you and your Dad going on a trip somewhere?" asked Brooke, a smile beyond her words.

"No. He's not my Dad."

"Is he not?"

"He is, I guess. He hasn't been around my whole life. My mother just died."

"Sounds like you're having a bad month."

Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't been exactly looking for sympathy, but she'd expected it.

"Is your husband here?" she asked, with all the wordly knowledge of a nine year old.

"No. Don't have one," she said.

"Don't worry. My Mom did fine without," said Jenny graciously.

"That I can see for myself," said Brooke. Jenny smiled and the two, united somehow, sat together, feeling less alone then before.

* * *

"Rachel, we're going through the luggage that washed up, trying to see what of it's useful. You could help," said Marvin McFadden suggestively, glancing down at the still form of her, suntanning in her bathing suit. 

"There's no point. We're getting rescued, Mouth. It's only a matter of time," she said with disinterest.

"In the meantime we might as well make the best of it," he said.

"I am. I haven't been this near to the equator in ages," she said, carefully unting the strap of her bikini, revealing a faintly white strip where it had been.

"That's great Rach," he said in some disgust, before leaving again. She rolled her eyes at his retreating back. Didn't he understand that she was going through trauma?

Brooke held back a laugh, watching the small man go off in anger.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

For an instant, Rachel laughed at the absurdity of this.

"Mouth? No, he's my brother," she said.

Brooke nodded, casting a jealous glance at Rachel's fat, toned stomach, her long smooth legs. She let one hand fall to her rounded stomach, saw her swollen ankles. Over her shoulder, she saw Jenny staring at her. She smiled.

* * *

"What were you talking about?" asked Jake curiously of his daughter. Jenny shrugged.

"Not much. She's cool," said Jenny. Jake smiled. This was more words than she'd spoken all day.

"Yeah, seems to be."

Jenny scrutinized her father's expression and smiled.

"You like her, don't you. You think she's pretty," said Jenny triumphantly. Jake blushed.

"Jenn, she's pregnant," he said.

"So? Mom said that her boobs got huge when she was pregnant and she was a total hottie," said Jenny. An instant later, she felt awkward, wishing she'd been able to refrain longer from mentioning her mother.

"Yeah. Sounds like something she'd say."


	4. Tabula Rasa

Chapter Three

* * *

Author's note: Sorry if this seems rushed, or badly paced. I'm just trying to adapt the early episodes so I can get to the more interesting stuff. But this is longer than my other chapters, so hope you like that. Thanks for the response. And hey, I've now introduced almost all of the castaways!

* * *

Haley looked curiously between two men, the blonde one in front of her and the dark one behind her. The dark one caught her looking at him and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

"Nathan. What's yours, sugar?" he asked.

"Haley." She glanced up at Lucas, who was staring curiously. "Not sugar."

Lucas looked between the two and realized he'd spent over two hours with Haley before learning her name.

The three of them reached a wide open grassy field.

"Where you from?" asked Haley, realizing awkwardly that she didn't yet know his name.

"California," said Lucas.

"I'm from all over. You a Southern man, Nathan?" she offered, desperate to fill in the silence. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Her voice altered sligthly, her childhood accent somehow inserting itself in the syllables she spoke.

"You too, apparently."

Haley frowned. Her voice had never done that to her since she'd dropped her characteristic Southern twang, years previously. She didn't know how it had happened.

"I was born in Georgia," she said, with some embarassment.

"Tennesse."

Lucas frowned. He knew very little about this dark haired man from Tenesse, but he didn't exactly trust him yet. It was his bad boy aura, or that he was already going after his girl. Or at least his potential girl. Sighing, he picked up his pace, pulling himself farther away from Haley, Nathan and the connection he didn't care to see.

* * *

"Come on. Some people are trying to reheat the airplane food over the fire over there. I think we should join them Dan," said Karen, after she'd watched her husband sit on the beach and stare at the water for a full day. 

"No."

"What?"

"We don't need them. We can't trust them, any of them. The brooding Doctor, or the Cowboy, or the tortured blonde who already has both of them after her. We can depend on each other," he said firmly.

"Dan, we're on an island with thirty other people. We can't just pretend they don't exist. We're going to need their help," she said in exasperation.

"They're strangers, Karen."

Karen stared resentfully at him as he turned away from her and back to the sea, but she didn't make a move toward the others.

* * *

As the three approached the head end of the plane, sticking out of the ground at a forty-five degree angle, glass shards and bent trees surrounding it, it began to pour. 

Haley ran for the cover of the plane, but shuddered in disgust when she did enter it.

Bodies. Dozens of them. Occupying every chair of the plane, bodies with their hands clutching their armrests, or their partners, or themselves. Expressions of terror alive in their faces, air masks hanging fruitlessly in front of them.

"You okay?" asked Lucas in concern. He touched her arm in comfort, and she flinched.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Let's get to the cockpit."

The three of them climbed slowly upward. Haley slowly gained her composure, Lucas put on a facade of strength, Nathan's never wavered.

Haley shrieked in alarm as Nathan yanked open the cockpit door and the bloody body of the copilot flew out. Nathan shoved it off of him and walked in, followed closely by the other two.

Lucas looked around solemnly. The body, sprawled in the pilot seat, was obviously dead, his eyelids open, eye blankling staring up at the sky. Rain poured in through the broken glass window, branches filled the gaps and made them feel as if they were as much outside as they were in.

"Are you going to check him?" asked Nathan eventually.

"He's..."

He wasn't. Lucas jumped as he coughed suddenly and revived himself. Lucas poured water from a bottle down his throat, and waited impatiently until he could speak.

"We were off course. Plane... crashed. Don't know what happened."

"The tranceiver?" demanded Lucas.

"It's over there. Unless you can find signal... Won't help. Thousands of miles."

The plane moved slightly, and began to rock.

"HALEY!" called Lucas commandingly. Haley moved against him and accepted the protective arms he put around her to keep her in place as the plane settled straight.

"What the hell was that, Doc?" demanded Nathan, as soon as they'd run out.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? You speak the language, you heard him talk, and you don't know?"

"I-"

Haley shushed them both as they heard a rustling in the low grass. Looking pained, Lucas latched his hand around Haley's wrist and pulled her away while Nathan stood still and stared in the direction of the noise.

"Nathan!" called Haley in irritation as she ran away.

They both heard the gunshot before they saw the gun.

"Where the hell did you get that?" demanded Haley.

Both of them looke down to the animal on the ground.

"You're not sounding overly grateful, Wildcat," said Nathan.

"Sorry, guess I forgot my manners in Autralia. Where'd you get it, Nathan?" she demanded.

"The plane. There was an air marshall. Took his gun, didn't think he'd need it," said Nathan in annoyance. Lucas moved toward them, but they both ignored him.

"Give me the gun."

She took a cautious step toward him, and held out her hand. He moved as if to give her the gun, but grabbed her wrist and pulled her in to him.

She shivered slightly as he jerked her body into his until they almost touched. He whispered, and his lips grazed her ear as he spoke.

"I know your type. I've been with girls like you."

With difficulty, she pulled back and met his cold blue eyes.

"No girl's exactly like me," she said. She snatched the gun out of his hand and pulled away from his strong grip, ignoring Lucas' stare.

She ejected the magazine and tossed it to Lucas before giving the rest back to Nathan.

"We should take it back. We might need to eat sometime," said Nathan, glancing down at the slaughtered boar on the jungle floor. Haley walked off, and after a moment Lucas followed her.

For the first time, Nathan smiled his wide, cocky grin. He was going to have fun with this.

* * *

"LUCAS!" 

Lucas looked up as they arrived back at the camp and the boy, who was called Mouth, called out to him immediately. Mouth had minor medical training, and a sister called Rachel. Lucas tried to keep these facts straight as Mouth ran toward him.

"Yeah?"

"The guy with the shrapnel in his chest. He woke up, you should check it out," said Mouth anxiously. Jack nodded and ran over to him.

The Air Marshall with the hunk of metal in his chest looked deathly, and his skin had a gray tinge. Lucas felt his pulse.

For an insant, he stirred and his eyes opened suddenly. He had pale, untrusting eyes.

"_She's dangerous_," he said desperately, before sinking back into oblivion.


	5. Walkabout

Chapter Four: Walkabout

"Who's dangerous?" asked Lucas again. The mashall, slipping in and out of consciousness, again tried to answer. "Yeah, you keep saying that. And every time I ask you who you have to bring back, you pass out on me again. Since your fever's running pretty high, I'm guessing you have no idea who the hell you're talking about."

"Don't trust her."

"Who?" asked Lucas again, wishing he could be more forceful but knowing his fragile condition wouldn't be able to stand it.

"My jacket pocket," said the marshall, his eyes still closed.

"What?"

"Jacket pocket," he said again. Lucas obediently rummaged through the pockets of his jacket until he unearthed a folded up piece of paper. Hands shaking, he opened it up to see a picture of a woman. A woman holding a set of numbers looking fierce, lost and completely blank. A blonde woman that was rapidly becoming more and more familiar to him.

* * *

"Hey, let me help you with that." 

Brooke smiled in relief as Jake hurried up to her and lifted the suitcase that she was trying to haul into the wheelchair that they'd found on the beach.

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

"Look on the bright side, whoever this belongs to is probably better off than we are," said Jake. Brooke smiled, and moved to push the wheelchair down the beach. "I got it," he said again, and began to push.

* * *

"Dan? I think I found your bag," said Karen. He looked up in surprise, looking hopeful. 

"Really? Let's see."

He frowned in disappointment as they opened it to discover someone else's belongings.

"No, it's not mine."

"Then I'll keep looking."

Karen turned to go, dragging the heavy suitcase behind her.

"Karen?" Karen turned to her husband. "Come here."

"Have you seen yourself? Your clothes. You're filthy," said Dan. Karen nodded, attempting not to look resentful. "Go wash up."

Karen nodded and made to leave again, but he stopped her. She turned expectantly to him.

"I love you."

Karen didn't answer, but instead smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes.

* * *

"So, how's the baby?" asked Jake, pulling the wheelchair down the beach while Brooke walked beside him, her hands protectively around her stomach. 

"Good, I think," she said uncertainly.

"So your husband, was he on the flight?" asked Jake. He hadn't seen Brooke with a man, but expected that there was one.

"Oh, I'm not married," said Brooke.

"Oh." Jake now felt awkward. He knew that there was nothing wrong with this, as he hadn't been married to Jenny's mother, but at the same time he knew that conveying his approval would be difficult.

"I know, how modern of me right?" asked Brooke, smiling and flashing dimples.

"Well who needs men? Useless, if you ask me," said Jake, tipping the wheelchair to dump the suitcase into a pile.

Brooke smiled again. She hadn't been looking forward to explaining her situation to the other islanders.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "Yeah."

* * *

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Haley, hovering by the door of the tent that Lucas was using for his infirmary. 

"Do you know him?" asked Lucas. Haley stared down at him.

"I was next to him on the plane," she said simply.

"I don't know, Haley. I thought we'd be in a hospital by now, with penicillin and tools and procedures and men in white coats," he said. She raised her eyebrows.

"Is there anything else you can do? There's still stuff in the fuselage you could look through," she suggested.

Jack turned his gaze to the plane, still sticking out of the sand, shining brightly in the sunlight. He knew what was in it, which was exactly why he didn't care to explore.

* * *

Jenny scowled darkly when she encountered her father chatting with Brooke in the shade of a palm tree, sitting on the sand. 

"You said you'd find Vincent as soon as it stopped raining!" she reminded him in annoyance. Jake winced. Her dog, Vincent, had been missing since the crash. It was pretty much all she thought about.

"Sorry," he said.

"Well?"

Jenny planted her hands on her hips when Jake failed to rise.

"Fine, I'll go now," he said in annoyance. Brooke stared at Jenny, who blushed as Jake ran off into the jungle.

* * *

Lucas sighed as he opened a carry on bag to find the typical, boring contents: a hair brush, a paperback novel, a pack of gum. So far, no one had painkillers on them. It was getting disappointing. And staying in the plane alone with all the dead bodies was getting to him. 

He stiffened slightly as he heard movement in the far corner of the plane. Slowly he turned around and flashed his light on the movement.

"Boo."

Lucas tightened his jaw in annoyance as Nathan's face came in to view.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Same as you Doc."

"I'm looking for medical supplies," said Lucas, suddenly feeling the need to justify his actions.

"Playboys, some cigarettes," said Nathan, displaying his findings.

"These people are dead."

"So they don't need 'em, do they?" stated Nathan.

Lucas turned away from him and onto the next bag.

Outside, Haley glanced around her as night began to fall. Lucas had heeded her advice and gone to the fuselage. The beach was almost empty except for a small grouping around the fire.

She moved silently into Jack's tent. She dropped onto her knees beside the makeshift bed and looked closely at the Marshall. If he died, she'd finally be free.

His eyes suddenly snapped open and his hands grabbed her neck. She made grasping noises and attempted to move him, but he was too much for her.

Taking in the scene at a glance, Lucas pulled Haley from harm and pushed the Marshall back down onto the bed. He panicked as he realized he was no longer breathing.

"What did you do?" he demanded. Haley coughed loudly, trying to clear her throat.

"Nothing. I was just in here, and all of a sudden he..."

"I saw the mug shot," said Lucas. Haley went white.

"I..."

"He's not breathing. His fever's at a hundred and four. Damn it!" he yelled. Haley slowly stood, and backed tentatively out.

* * *

"God, why won't he just die already?" asked Rachel, as more screams of agony sounded from the tent. 

"Real humane, Rachel," said her stepbrother in disgust as he dropped onto the sand beside her.

"Everyone's thinking it. If you were him, would you really want to live?" she asked.

Mouth looked sideways at her. In the dark, he could only just make out her profile. He wondered if there was pain in her eyes.

Cooper fed the fire one final time before going to bed. Everyone was asleep or pretending to, besides Lucas, who was still tending to the Air Marshall. Cooper sighed and looked at the radio by his bed. He knew that it was the only way he could get them off the island, but he didn't even know how to attempt it.

He was the first to awaken, hours later. It was still dark, but everyone awaked around him. It was only moments before he realized, with trepedation, that there was soemthing moving in the fuselage.

"What's in there?" asked Rachel, looking nervous.

"Nathan," said Lucas, looking calm.

"Right behind you, Jackass."

Lucas flicked on his flashlight and cautiously moved toward the plane, followed closely by Cooper. As Kate stepped toward them, Nathan grabbed her and held her back.

Bright eyes shone in the darkness as Nathan swung his own flashlight toward the source of the noise. Throwing it to the sand, he pulled Haley into him and lunged for shelter as two animals ran out of the plane.

Rachel screamed in alarm and ducked behind Mouth. Cooper helped Claire out of the way. One of the castaways, a tall dark haired man, stared after it, his eyes gleaming.

"What was that?" asked Haley shakily, detaching herself from Nathan's arms.

"Boar," said the man, looking after them in satisfaction.

They waited until morning to hold counsel. Most of the islanders fell back while Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Cooper, Jake and the dark haired man talked.

"They're going to start eating the bodies. We need to get rid of them," said Lucas.

"Bury them? It's going to be hard, there are so many," said Jake, glancing toward the plane.

"No. Burn them."

"They're people, Lucas," said Haley, after a disapproving silence.

"I know they're people Haley. But they're going to start to decay pretty rapidly in the sun. And if we bury them, they'll eventually be dug up again, by boars or whatever the hell else is on this island. We have to get rid of them, and this is the only way to go about it," said Lucas.

"I thought we were here to discuss the boar," said the dark haired one. Lucas looked at him in surprise.

"What's your plan?" he asked.

"We hunt."

* * *

Lucas stared at Haley as she packed water into a knapsack. He'd left the Marshall alone, knowing he could do nothing and unable to stand the screams. 

"You're going?" he asked. Haley looked up. He hadn't spoken directly to her since their confronttion.

"Yeah," she said.

"Be careful, we still don't know what's our there," he said.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're worried about me, Lucas," said Haley teasingly.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a problem staying in one place for very long, Haley," he said, as Haley's smile faded. "So, you wanna tell me why you're really going?"

Haley sighed and dug the radio out of her bag. "This. Cooper fixed it, he said that if I can get it to higher ground I could pick up on something."

"Be careful," he said again, letting his hand fall to her shoulder. She nodded and ran off as Jake called out for her.

The three of them went off into the jungle, each armed with the hunting knives that the man had mysteriously come up with.

"What's your name?" asked Haley eventually.

"Keith," he said. She glanced at Jake and raised her eyebrows. He smiled.

"I'm Jake," he said, offering his hand.

"Haley. How's your kid doing?" she asked.

"Jenny? She's coping."

"She's a brave kid," said Haley warmly.

"Yeah. It's not my doing. She's lived with her mother most of her life," explained Jake. Keith shushed them.

"Don't talk. This is its wallow, we're probably nearby."

Keith stopped, and suddenly seemed to becoem in tune to the valley around him. Distantly, Haley heard the sound of hooves beating the ground.

Suddenly the boar appeared out of the long grass. Jake threw his knife and missed. He collided with it and fell onto the ground.

"JAKE!" screamed Haley in alarm, running for him. Keith looked down.

"He'll be fine. You just help him back to camp."

"You can't stay out here alone," said Haley.

"I'll be fine," he said. As he faded into the trees, Haley distantly heard him speak again: "Don't ever tell me what I can and cannot do."

Jake tried not to lean on Haley as they slowly made it back to the camp.

"Guy's a nutcase," he said, beathing heavily. She smiled.

"Yeah, probably. Let's take break," she said, helping him to the ground by a tree.

"Hey, gimpy here. Don't I get to decide when we take a break?" he inquired.

"Sorry. Need to try and find radio waves. I'll just be a sec," she said. As Haley pulled herself onto some low hanging branches and reached for one above her head, Jake opened his mouth to protest in concern. He silenced when she swung onto a higher branch and began to expertly climb up the tree.

She reached as high as she could go, and flicked it on. She held her breath as the bars slowly built up.

Haley screamed in excitement as a voice began to come through the tranceiver. One male, speaking quickly. She didn't hear the sounds of hoofbeats again, and only remember Jake's presence as he yelled in alarm. She dropped the radio in surprise and winced before sliding back down to the ground.

"You okay?" she asked. He nodded, staring at the tranceiver until she packed it back into her bag and helped him back up.

"DADDY!" screamed Jenny happily as he and Haley returned. Haley laughed as Jenny launched herself at her father, who groaned in pain but did not set her down. "What happened? Was it like, a boar fight?" she asked eagerly.

"No, more like me getting mauled," he said, laughing. She slipped her hand into his. "I've been talking to Brooke. She's so cool, she..."

Jenny's voice faded as Haley hurried down the beach toward Lucas.

"The mighty huntress returns. What's for dinner, honey?" asked Nathan as she walked past him.

"Not now," said Haley in annoyance, ignoring him.

Haley looked around as the reached the end of the beach. She'd seen Lucas before, but he'd disappeared during her walk.

"Haley?" Haley turend around and smiled as he called out for her. Apparently, he'd been missing her.

"Are you okay?" he touched her face gently and turned it to see the scratch on her cheek. She smiled slightly at the feel of his skin on hers.

"Yeah. I think I heard a transmission, but the radio broke. How's he?" she asked. Her question was answered as the marshall screamed in agony.

Hours later, as night began to fall, Haley watched as the islands prepared to burn the fuselage. Brooke prepared a memorial service with that little was available to her from travel documents and wallets. Lucas remained in the tent, tending to the Marshall.

"You know, I've been meaning to thank you," said Nathan, coming up behind her.

"You going to ask me what for?" he asked.

"No."

"For taking that gun off me. Wouldn't want to be the only one around here with one," said Nathan. His point was illustrated as the Marshall's groan of agony sounded.

"Go away, Nathan," she said sadly, looking back into the fire.

She drifted to the tent and stared down at his grey skin, at Lucas' shaking hands doing his best to make him comfortable.

"Can't you just end it?" she asked eventually, her voice small and reluctant.

"No."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I," he said, stanidng to look at her. She noted that his eyes were slightly crazed, and red from lack of sleep. "Am not a murderer."

Lucas left abruptly, leaving her alone in the tent once again.

He wandered down the beach and stared at the growing flames, at Brooke reading off some papers, Jake and Mouth on either side of her, holding torches.

Jack ignored Cooper, who followed him as he walked back across the beach.

"Haley went in there alone," said Cooper warningly.

"So what? She's 120 pounds soaking wet," said Lucas dismissively, still not beleiving she was guitly.

"She's got a gun," reminded Cooper. Lucas swore loudly and ran to the tent.

As he reached it, a loud gunshot sounded. He stared in horror as Haley appeared, looking dejected, not carrying the gun. She glanced at him and looked down again. Nathan appeared moments later. Lucas ran in to see him pouring blood our of the heart, dying quickly. He glanced at Nathan.

"Nathan?" Nathan stopped as Haley's voice sought him. She reached him and looked up into his blue eyes, impressed more by his murder than by anything so far. She placed a hand on his arm and smiled sympathetically at him as the flames filled the air and the survivors provided them with the best eulogy that they could manage.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry this took so long to get up, hope the length makes up for it. This is two episodes squished into one chapter, but hte next chapter revolves around "White Rabbit" which is the one where the water gets stolen. Thanks for reviewing.

* * *


	6. White Rabbit

Chapter Five: White Rabbit

Lucas hadn't realized, until screams began to sound from the beach, that he'd been asleep, or anything like it, but when they did he realized that there was an emergency, that he was needed, and that nothing had changed.

He ran to the edge of the water. He collided with Jake.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"There's a woman, in the water. I don't swim!" he said, his last words last as Lucas ran into the waves, still fully clad and threw himself into their mercy.

Out in the water, it was harder to see the tiny figure fighting for their lives. Lucas looked around wildly, listening for screams above the sound of crashing waves. He felt something nudge his foot, and dove down.

He emerged with Mouth in his arms, coughing and sputtering and obviously alive.

"Breath, kid. What are you doing out here?" he asked. Mouth coughed for a while longer.

"There's a woman out here. You have to save her, I'll be fine," he said. Lucas cautiously loosened his grip on the other man and grabbed back in alarm when Mouth began to slip back in to the waves. He looked back away from the shore and finally saw the woman again, flailing and screaming. He looked back to the beach, and felt the weight of Mouth.

He made his way back to shore.

* * *

"What was her name?"

Haley eyed Lucas cautiously. Time had passed, somehow. Lucas had gone back out in the waves to perform his second rescue and had come back alone.

"Joanna. She was on vacation in Australia."

"I didn't know her. It's been three days, and I never said a word."

"Luke..."

"No."

"You tried-"

"I didn't. I..."

Haley continued to speak, but Lucas was looking beyond her, back to the water. Haley followed his gaze.

"Did you see that? A man, in the water," said Lucas. Haley looked to where he was seeing an old man in a three piece suit, and saw nothing.

"How long's it been since you slept?" she asked. He left, and she resisted the urge to follow him.

* * *

Haley looked up in surprise when a shadow fell over her. The pregnant woman was standing over her, one hand on her back, the other on her rounded stomach.

"Hey. Haley, right?" Brooke sat down slowly beside her as Haley nodded, looking nervous for her sake.

"Yeah. Brooke?"

"That's me. What're you doing?"

"Sorting. Sorting the practical from the not so practical," said Haley, tossing a skimpy camisole into a pile. "How're you doing?"

"With the pregnancy, or with the whole plane crash thing?" she asked.

"Pregnancy."

"Good, good. Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"What, another thing?"

Brooke ignored her and continued.

"Are you a Gemini?" she asked suspiciously. Haley looked up in susprise, trying to remember the last time she'd flipped to the end of a magazine to read her personal hoaxy horoscope.

"Yeah," she said slowly.

"Thought so. Restless, passionate. Most people think it's crap and I totally did too but then I read this one that said I'd find a new path in life and it was the day I was graduating, it was so crazy..." Brooke trailed off when she saw the look Haley was giving her. "I could draw your chart. Or not."

Brooke found a hat in the midst of someone's belongings, and put it on.

"So what's your story?"

* * *

Jenny stared listlessly at the ocean. Being stranded on a desert island was less exciting than she'd imagined. It had been good for the first few days, with the boar fights and everyone screaming at each other, but they'd practically started a society already.

She tucked her knees into her chest, rested her chin on them and let herself think about ther mother.

But she was spared from such thoughts when she suddenly heard panic, and turned around to see her father, running toward the medical tent as fast as he was able with Brooke in his arms, clearly unconscious.

"What happened?" she asked in alarm. Her father glanced up at her and halted sligthly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, clearly exhausted by the weight he carried.

"She collapsed. Get Lucas," he instructed. Jenny ran off, glad to have a purpose.

She looked wildly up and down the beach. She was the redheaded girl tanning, her brother looking resentful about something, Cooper still busy with the radio. She sighed in frustration.

"Brooke just collapsed," she blurted out to the next person she came across. It was the blonde one. Jenny followed her as she ran back.

"Brooke? Can you hear me honey?" she asked. Haley heard her voice slip back into her childhood accent and was temporarily glad that Nathan wasn't around. Brooke stirred.

"She needs water," said Haley urgently. "And the doctor. Where's Lucas?"

"I don't know," said Jenny, backing away slowly. Haley glanced at her and felt briefly sympathetic before looking back to her charge.

"Water, Jake?"

She turned around to see him staring at the empty suitcase that used to contain Nalgenes and half full plastic bottles.

"There is none," he said, his voice low and scared.

* * *

"Is the girl in any immediate danger?" asked Keith. He, Haley, and Cooper were in consultation.

Haley and Jake glanced at each other.

"I don't think so."

"Good. I can go find water, you two can stay here and look after the camp," he said. Haley looked to where he was leaning on a crutch, his heavily bandaged leg.

"You're hurt. I'll go," she said tactfully.

"I'm fine. And I know where to look," he said, deciding and not leaving it up for debate.

* * *

In the jungle, away from it all, Lucas was being violated by his memories.

He knew they needed him at camp, and that what he was searching for was not to be found, but he couldn't stop. He felt so close.

Suddenly he was closer. He ran, through bush, through dirt. He slipped. His feet gave away he was falling, sliding.

He grabbed the rocky edge of the land as he fell, his feet dangling over the valley below.

* * *

Haley stared at Brooke as she listlessly tossed in her sleep like state and then back at Jake, who was doing the same. She silently left the tent and sought out Cooper.

"What the hell are we going to do?" she asked. He nodded toward the direction of the dark haired couple down the beach, slightly detached from the rest.

"What?"

"That guy has water," he said.

Dan looked up in surprise when the two approached.

"Where did you get this?" demanded Cooper, skipping past pleasantries.

"What's it to you?" he asked, looking annoyed by the shorter, younger man and the beautiful girl.

"Did you steal this?" Cooper stood his ground and attempted to look menacing while Dan walked closer.

"From who? Who exactly would I be stealing from, anyway?" he asked. Cooper raised an eyebrow, and Dan gestured carelessly.

Haley looked and saw Nathan, reading a book in one of the airplane seats and scowled darkly. Cooper caught her upper arm.

"Do you see the water?"

"No. So what?" she asked in annoyance, fuming.

"Then we will get nowhere. Wait. A rat will always lead back to its hole."

Haley stared at Nathan feeling that in this case, his words were oddly appropriate.

* * *

A hand slowly extended over the edge of the cliff. Lucas grabbed it not sure if he was awake or dreaming, if the hand was even tangible. He took his chances and let it pull him back up.

Keith collapsed as the tall blonde man rolled back onto safe ground.

Lucas' laughter, loud and maniacal, filled the air.

"What are you doing out here, Lucas?" asked Keith later, once he'd built a fire.

"Honestly? I think I'm going crazy," he admitted.

"You're not. Crazy people don't know they're crazy. They think they're getting safer," he said calmly.

"How is everyone?"

"Thirsty. Scared. Needing their leader."

"I'm not a leader," said Lucas immediately, remembering the man who'd told him this so often.

"Yet they all look to you as one," said Keith meditatively. He stood and began to extinguish the fire.

"Where are you going?" asked Lucas.

"To find more water."

"I'll go with you," he volunteered.

"No. A leader can't lead if he doesn't know where he's going," said Keith, grabbing his bag and vanishing into the jungle.

* * *

"Hello?"

Jake moved instantly to Brooke's bed as he heard her slowly awaken.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired. What happened?" she asked in confusion.

"You passed out."

"Where's Lucas? I'm thirsty," she said, sounding disoriented.

"We're working on it," he promised. She half smiled and glanced out onto the beach.

"When are we going to be rescued, Jake?" she asked. Jake didn't know the answer, but felt the need to soothe her.

"Soon," he promised.

Haley and Cooper silently followed Nathan into the jungle. She held her breath as he stopped, dropped to his knees and pulled back some leaves to reveal a slight hole in the ground. He rummaged through it and pulled out a packet of cigarettes.

Taking her chances, Haley ran toward him and tackled him.

Nathan looked up in surprise when the small blonde arrived on top of him, holding his wrists to the ground, holding her body off his. He raised an eyebrow.

"Well hey, Wildcat. Been waiting for this," he said.

"What?"

"Made this birthday wish five years ago. Not with you, though. Nice surprise."

"Where's our water?" she demanded in disgust. He raised an eyebrow, captured her wrists in his hands and easily flipped them over.

"That's better," he said. Haley squirmed beneath him, unable to shift his weight off her.

"Get off me," she said.

A moment later Cooper ran out of the jungle and pulled Nathan away and held him against a tree.

"Where's the water?" he asked menacingly.

"I don't have your water," he said in annoyance.

"Dan said..."

"I sold him the last of my water. Traded him for a fish he caught," said Nathan.

"You gave away the last of your water?" asked Haley skeptically.

"Water's got no value here, Wildcat. It's gotta rain sooner or later," he said. Cooper left, shaking his head in annoyance, and Haley followed him.

"Hey." Haley turned around as Nathan tossed somehting at her, and caught it reflexively. She looked down to see the badge he'd stolen from the Air Marshall.

"Just thought if you're going to be the new sheriff in town, might as well make it official."

Haley met his eyes once more before he left and gaze him a look that was both tortured and pitying.

Nathan frowned at the look in her eyes for a moment but then remembered her, above and below him, and smirked.

* * *

Lucas looked around in amazement as he found a clearing in the jungle. Water poured out of the walls, the area was cluttered with suitcases, abandoned belongings. He took a quick drink from the fountain of water.

Instinct made him turn around. He recoiled when he saw a long, elegant expensive coffin. He flipped it open expecting to find a body several days dead, with a face that he knew better than any.

But it was empty.

* * *

"Brooke?"

Brooke heard her name being whispered urgently, but was unable to open her eyes.

"Brooke?"

It came again. Slowly the image of Mouth formed in front of her. He dropped two half full bottles of water on her table before a strong hand gripped his arm and dragged him out of the tent.

"Found out theif."

The castaways formed a group around Mouth, huddled on the ground. Jake scowled down at him.

"Why'd you do it, kid?" he asked in disgust.

"I had to do something. Lucas was gone, it was just sitting there..."

"Had to be the hero, huh?" asked Cooper in disgust, moving forward. Haley looked on, torn between her anger and her sympathy.

"Leave him alone."

Everyone looked to the commanding voice that sounded. Lucas was standing on a piece of the fuselage several feet above them, a torch in his hand, back after his day's absence.

"A woman died this morning. He tried to save her, and now you're going to incriminate him? We have to work together, people. We're going to have to live together because if we don't we're going to die alone."

He let the impact of his words settle in before continuing.

"I found water, in the valley. I'll take a group at first light. If you don't go, find some way to contribute."

He dropped down and offered Mouth a hand, and pulled him up before pushing the crowd to go sit by himself.

Haley slowly wandered down the beach ignoring Brooke and Jake in the medical tent, Nathan's eyes.

She found Lucas staring at the water.

"So where were you today?" she asked, her lips curving into a smile for the first time.

"Looking for something," he said.

"That's all the answer I'm going to get, isn't it?" she asked. She walked forward and looked out with him, to the stars in the sky, the waves of the ocean where one of their own had died.

"I want to tell you what I did," she said eventually. She looked up at him, and noted he was almost smiling as hell, and that she was the only person to have the affect on him.

"That's okay," he said slowly. He looked at her and met her gaze. "I don't think I want to know."

The memory of the long, tiresome day, of Nathan, of searching gone, they stood together and let their minds be stilled.


End file.
